Secretary



' April 16, 1935. G. w. HUNTER SECRETARY Filed March 26, 1954 '2Sheets-Sheet 1 gnaw bod aarniss WHunier x u v I I9 v u m n T J. m n v um v H a F||1|||||||||||mM/1 April 16, 1935. G. w. HUNTER SECRETARY FiledMarch 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \\\\\\\R \EXY aarnz'ss W Hul a PatentedApr. 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SECRETARY Garniss W. Hunter,Columbus, Ohio Application March 26, 1934, Serial No. 717,501

6 Claims.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements insecretaries and it particularly has for an object to provide a secretaryof the telephone-secretary type which is equipped with a secretcompartment cooperatively associated with the telephone-directorysection of the cabinet.

Further the invention has for an object to provide a simple means formounting several directories separately in convenient binders andmounting those binders in a file section of the secretary in such mannerthat any one binder may be swung downwardly and outwardly so as to lieflat-wise on the base of the secretary for convenient reference.

Further it is an object to provide for removably mounting each binderpivotally in the pigeonhole, the pivot-bearing means serving also tocamouflage the opening edge of the door of the 20 secret compartment.

Further it is an object to provide means to illuminate the interior ofthe secretary.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed outhereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention stillfurther resides in the novel details of construction, combination andarrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in thefollowing detailed descrip- 30 tion and then be particularly pointed outin the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsin whichr- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a secretaryembodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section of the same on substantially theline 2-2 of Figure 1 through one of the telephone directory file units.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a binder back and portionsof the covers.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the base of thecabinet showing the pivot bearing strip secured thereto.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the cabinet showing apair of partitions and the associated bearing-carrying strip.

In the drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate like partsin all of the figures, the secretary comprises a cabinet having sides I,top 2, back 3, and base 4. Beneath this base is located one or moresecret boxes or chambers l and a drawer 21 may be provided beneath thebase which can be pulled out from the front of the cabinet, the drawerbeing in the same plane as the secret box.

The cabinet includes a series of vertical partitions l3 spaced apart toprovide file sections or pigeon-holes in each of which may be located abinder carrying a telephone directory. The base 4 at the bottom of oneor more of the pigeon-holes for the telephone directory binders is cutaway 5 and supplied with a door or doors 5 hinged at 5 to the back wall.The front edge of the door or doors and the corresponding rear portionof the base 4 are bevel cut as at 9 (see Figure 2) The rear edge of thebase 4 adjacent the tele- 10 phone directory file section of the cabinetis provided with a rearwardly and downwardly inclined recess 8 in whichis fastened a strip ill which has a lug I I for each partition I3, thepartition being out awayto the rear of the lug to 15 cooperate with itin forming a bearing slot M for a trunnion pin l9 carried by the binderback, as will be more fully described later. The strip ID is secured tothe base 4 by suitable screws 52.

Each binder consists of a binder back 55 and hinged covers l6. To oneedge of the back i5 is secured a plate I 1 having trunnion carriers H3in which are mounted the trunnion pins i9 by means of which the binderis pivotally mounted within its pigeon-hole at the bottom. front edge ofthe same. The plate ii is secured at to the binder back l5 by rivets orother suitable means.

2| is a rod which is swivelly mounted at 22 adjacent one end of thebinder back l5 and is adapted to pass between the leaves of and overliethe back of a telephone directory 35, the free end of the pin 2i beingremovably engaged in a bayonet slot 24 of a lug 23 upstanding from theplate I! (see Figure 3).

25 is the door of the secretary which is hinged to the base 4 in theusual way and which may be held horizontally as a desk by means of asuitable brace 26.

In my secretary the telephone directory section is preferably arrangedto occupy the midsection of the cabinet, leaving a space at one side forthe reception of a telephone and at the other side there may be provideda set of filing pigeon-holes 28 and a drawer 29.

31 designates a front panel extending across the top of the door openingof the cabinet behind which panel are located lamp brackets 34 carryingbulbs 33, and also reflectors 32 for reflecting the rays of light fromthe bulbs downwardly and over an exposed telephone directory 35 (seeFigure 1) and to illuminate the telephone dial.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the telephone directorybinders are upstanding in their respective pigeomholes the door 5 of 55the secret compartment is covered and maintained closed by the telephonedirectory and its binders. When, however, the directory is swung outwardand down, as shown in Figure 1, the door 5 is exposed. By reason of therecess 8 the upper edge of the beveled end 9 of the door 5 projectsslightly above the plate I 0 and comprises a convenient finger-engagingportion by means of which the door 5 may be raised to open the secretcompartment.

If desired anyone of the binders and contents thereof may be bodilyremoved from the secretary by simply lifting up slightly on it andmoving it forwardly to cause the trunnion pins I9 to ride out of theupper ends of the slots 14. It should be understood that the trunnionpins iii are of a length equal to about one-half the thickness of thepartition I3 so that all the trunnion pins of the various binders willlie in alignment.

In general accord with the spirit of my invention and the appendedclaims, as stated and as may generally fall within their broadinterpretation, and also without departing from my invention, I reservethe right exclusively to make various changes, alterations andmodifications in the invention, in its general form, its partsdescribed, and in the details of construction.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction, uses andadvantages of the above invention will be clear to those skilled in theart.

What I claim is:

1. In a secretary, a cabinet having a door which when opened serves as adesk, a set of partitions dividing the interior of the cabinet into agroup of pigeon-holes, telephone directory binders having backs andcovers one located in each pigeon-hole, means pivoting said binderswithin their respective pigeon-holes to enable the binders to be swungoutwardly and downwardly for the purpose of opening the same to exposethe directories, at least one pigeon-hole having a bottom door that maybe lifted and a secret box or compartment located beneath said door,said bottom door being hidden by the telephone directory binder when thesame is within the pigeon-hole.

2. In a secretary, a base, sides, back, and a top wall and a front doormounted to serve as a desk when opened; a set of parallel verticalpartitions on the base within the secretary dividing a section of thesecretary into a plurality of pigeonholes, the lower front edges of saidpartitions being cut away, said base having an inclined recess, a platefitted into said recess and having lugs to cooperate with said cut-awayedge portions to serve as pivot-bearing slots, a directory binder havingback and side covers, and a hinge pin carried by said back at one end tocooperate with said bearing slots.

3. In a secretary, a base, sides, back, a top wall and a front doormounted to serve as a desk when opened; a set of parallel verticalpartitions on the base within the secretary dividing a section of thesecretary into a plurality of pigeonholes, the lower front edges of saidpartitions being cut away, said base having an inclined recess, a platefitted into said recess and having lugs to cooperate with said cut-awayedge portions to serve as pivot-bearing slots, a directory binder havingback and side covers, a hinge pin carried by said back at one end tocooperate with said bearing slots, and a secret compartment builtbeneath said base, the bottom of at least one of said pigeon-holes beinghinged as a cover for said secret compartment to be lifted while thebinder of that pigeon-hole is outside of the same to expose the secretcompartment beneath.

4. In a secretary, a base, sides, back, a top wall and a front doormounted to serve as a desk when opened; a set of parallel verticalpartitions on the base within the secretary dividing a section of thesecretary into a plurality of pigeonholes, the lower front edges of saidpartitions being cut away, said base having an inclined recess, a platefitted into said recess and having lugs to cooperate with said cut-awayedge portions to serve as pivot-bearing slots, a directory binder havingback and side covers, a hinge pin carried by said back at one end tocooperate with said bearing slots, and a secret compartment builtbeneath said base, the bottom of at least one of said pigeon-holes beinghinged as a cover for said secret compartment to be lifted while thebinder of that pigeon-hole is outside of the same to expose the secretcompartment beneath, the front edge of said hinged bottom being locatedadjacent said inclined recess to expose a portion of said front edge asa finger engagement.

5. In a secretary, a cabinet having a base, a plurality of verticalpartitions spaced apart, a binder having a back and covers hingedthereto and located in the space between said partitions, meanspivotally mounting said binder in said space to enable said binder to beswung forwardly and down on said base in front of said space, areceptacle below said base and a door in said base at the bottom of saidspace and normally hidden by said binder while the same is in said spacebut exposed when the binder is out of said space.

6. In a secretary, a cabinet having a base, a

plurality of vertical partitions spaced apart, a

binder having a back and covers hinged thereto and located in the spacebetween said partitions, means pivotally mounting said binder in saidspace to enable said binder to be swung forwardly and down on said basein front of said space, a receptacle below said base and a door in saidbase at the bottom of said space and normally hidden by said binderwhile the same is in said space but exposed when the binder is out ofsaid space, said pivotal-mounting means comprising trunnions on saidbinder and trunnion bearings carried by said base in cooperativerelation with said partition.

GARNISS W. HUNTER.

